Registering apparatus for machines



Jn- 18, 1938. w. A. KENNEDY REGISTERING APPARATUS FOR MACHINES Filed Aug. 6, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet l oooo;

W. A. KENNEDY REGISTERING APPARATUS FOR MACHINES Filed Aug. 6, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 gjwvcnfon: WoanFom A KENNEDY Patented Jan. 148, 193g UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

rihis invention relates to a pick counter and more especially to a pick counter having a preprinted tape therein with iigures thereon to denote the number of picks made by a loom, said tape being adapted to be fed from the pick counter in timed relation to the speed of the loom. In keeping check on the amount of goods woven on a loom and also for payroll purposes, a pick counter is often used. The conventional type employs a figure wheel somewhat on the style of an odometer while the individual types are divided into a non-reset7 re-setting and to a limited extent printing pick counters. These counters are made for single shifts and also into two shifts or more.

It is a well known fact that when the counters used are of the odometer type, that the reading for each days work has to be taken by an individual and transferred to a piece of paper denoting the shift, the loom number and the number of picks which have been made by the loom that day in order that the loom operator may be properly paid. This, of course, also results in errors which means that the operator will not be paid properly. In printing counters heretofore used, it has been necessary to mount a printing mechanism in the counter which often is inefective on account of the fact that the ink dries out or that the stamp becomes gummed up, resulting 1n iaint lines and obscure figures.

It is, therefore, Aan object of this invention to use a pre-printed roll of paper, tape and the like, and feed the same by means of a directly connected feed roll in direct ratio to the production being made on the loom. The pre-printed tape will be so scaled that a definite space on the tape will represent a unit of measurement of goods produced which ordinarily will be represented by each one thousand picks. If desired, however, the scale on the tape could be changed so that the loom production could be shown in inches, feet, yards or the like.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a pick counter with a plurality of pre-printed perforated tapes therein which are held rmly in contact with the feed rolls by pressure rolls and when these tapes are torn orf at the bottom of the apparatus the highest reading noted thereon will denote the number of picks made in a days work by the loom, or in any given period.

(Cl. 23S-125) by means of this locking device the feed rolls can only be rotated when the drive gears are in their proper position, that is, when the mechanism is connected to the day counter, the night counter is positively locked and conversely, when the counter is shifted to night, the day feed roll is positively locked except when the cover is unlocked and lifted upwardly. In this position the locking mechanism is released and the feed rolls may be turned at will by means of a knurled nut inside the case.

As a further means of preventing unauthorized tampering with the counter, the front cover is so locked that a key is required to open same, and when the key is inserted in the lock it manipulates a suitable marking device such as a pin plunger which will perforate or mark the tape in such a manner Yas to show that the counter face has been opened.

It is evident that a pre-printed card, sheet of paper, or any other material, may be fed through this apparatus by making minor changes, thus eliminating the rolls of tape.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects Will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure lis afront elevation of my pick counter;

Figure 2 is a front elevation with portions of the front cover removed showing the mechanism on the interior thereof;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3 3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional plan View taken along the line 4 4 in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 5 5 in Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional plan View taken along line 6 6 in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a sectional plan view taken along line I I in Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a View of the key adapted to unlock the lock shown in Figures 5 and 7;

Figure 9 is a view of a pre-printed tape which is adapted to be used in this pick counter.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral I0 denotes a casing on a pick counter which is comprised of a suitable base member I I, sidewalls I2 and I3 anda back wall I4. The back wall I 4 has secured thereto a conventional bracket I5, said bracket being secured by any suitable means such as bolts or rivets to the frame i6 of a loom. A -front cover I'I is hingedly secured as at I8 to back wall I4, and the lower edge of this cover has a lock therein which will later be described, and is adapted to lock the cover in fixed position.

Secured to back wall |4 is a receptacle 22 for receiving a pre-printed tape as it is fed from the apparatus and this receptacle is secured to the back wall by any suitable means such as hinges 23. A similar receptacle 20 is hingedly secured to back wall |4 by any suitable means such as hinges 2|. The receptacle 20 is adapted, in the present instance, to receive the tape from the day shift whereas, the receptacle 22 receives the tape for the night shift. Receptacles 20 and 22 have suitable latches 24 and 25 respectively, which normally hold the receptacles in a locked position.

Back wall |4 has integral therewith lugs 3| and 32 between which is mounted a Worm 33, said worm being xedly secured on drive shaft 34. Drive shaft 34 is driven in a conventional manner by means of a gear drive from one of the loom shafts.

Worm 33 is adapted to mesh with a worm gear 35 which is slidably keyed on shaft 36, shaft 36 being rotatably mounted in bearings 31, 38, 39 and 48. The gear 35 also has a projection 4| integral therewith which fits in a key-way 42 cut in shaft 36. This allows worm gear 35 to remain stationary when the shaft 36 is moved transversely in the counter but the key-way 42 and projection 4| prevent relative rotation between worm gear 35 and shaft 36.

A U-shapcd bracket 43 is secured to the base portion and has its upwardly projecting arms disposed on opposite sides of worm gear 35. This will hold the worm gear 35 in one position when the shaft 36 is moved in the casing and causes this worm gear 35 to mesh with worm 33 at all times.

Pinions 44 and 45 are fixedly secured on shaft 36 and these pinions are adapted to drive a feed roll mechanism which will later be described.

Grooved wheels 46 and 41 are also xedly secured on shaft 36, said wheels 46 and 41 being engaged by suitable balls 48 and 49 respectively, which form a part of the transferring mechanism. Balls 48 and 49 are mounted on the ends of forked member 50 which is pivotally mounted as at to a bracket 52. This bracket is secured to base member by any suitable means such as screws 53.

A shaft 6| has one end rotatably mounted in bracket 52 and the other end rotatably mounted in sidewall |2. FiXedly secured on shaft 6| is a roller 63 having projections 64 thereon which are adapted to penetrate the perforations 65 in the tape and to feed the tape through the apparatus. Knurled nut 66 is fixedly mounted on shaft 6| which allows one to turn shaft 6| when the counter cover is removed to place the tape in a desired starting position. A pinion 61 is also mounted on shaft 6|, said pinion 61 having spaced projections 68 extending from one side thereof. Shaft 69, which is similar in all respects to shaft 6|, has one end rotatably mounted in sidewall |3. FiXedly secured on this shaft is roller having projections 1| integral therewith, said projections 1| being adapted to penetrate perforations 65 in the tape.

It is seen that rollers 21 and 28 are rotatably and slidably mounted on shaft 36, said rollers being confined between bearings 31, 38, 39 and 46 respectively. These rolls press the tape against rolls 63 and 1U at all times to insure that projections 64 and 1| will enter perforations 65 in the tapes. A knurled nut 12 is also fixedly secured on this shaft and is identical in all respects to nut 66 which has already been described. Fixedly secured on the end of the shaft is a pinion 14 having projections projecting from one side thereof and adapted to be engaged by prong 16 when it is desired that the pinion 14 be secured against rotation. A similar prong 11 is adapted to engage the projections 68 on pinion 61 when this pinion is desired to be locked in position. The prongs 16 and 11 project upwardly and then laterally and are secured as at 18 to the front cover |1.

The forked member 50 has projections 86 and 81 extending therefrom which are adapted to engage the downwardly extending prongs 16 and 11 when it is desired that one particular side be operated.

Member 58 has a socket 98 in the front side thereof which is adapted to be engaged by a pro-- jection 89, said projection 89 being Xedly secured on the end of a suitable spring 9U. The other end of spring 90 is xedly secured to lever 9| which is pivotally mounted between lugs 92 and 93 by any suitable means such as pin 94. A compression spring 95 is confined around pin 94 and has its upper end engaging the lower side of 94 and its lower end engaging the top side of lever 9|, The lower side of lever 9| has integral therewith a projection 96, whereas the lug 93 has cavities or detents 91, 98 and 99 therein spaced on an arc of a circle whose center is pin 94, and are adapted to receive the projection 96 at various positions of lever 9! and to hold the lever in a fixed position.

In Figure 4 the gear 44 is shown meshing with the gear 61, but it is evident should the lever 94 Y be caused to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction that the member 50 would be caused to rotate in a clockwise direction thereby causing the balls 48 and 49, which are engaging the wheels 46 and 41 respectively, to slide the shaft 36 and the gears 44 and 45 thereon to a different position and when it is shifted far enough to the right, the gear will mesh with the gear 14.

It is to be noted in Figure 4, that the prong 11 is not engaged by the projection 66 on the side of gear 61, and the gear wheel 61 is free to be turned by the gear 44 which is fixedly mounted on shaft 36. In a like manner, when member has been rotated, in a clockwise direction, enough to cause gear 45 tomesh with gear 14, the arm 86 will engage the prong 16 and hold it out of engagement with projections 15 on the side of gear wheel 14, thereby allowing gear 45 to rotate gear 14 and the shaft 69.

In the position of member 58, as shown in Figure 4, the projection 96 on the bottom of lever 9| is engaging the socket 99 in the top of lug 93. If member 5U is turned in a clockwise direction until gear 45 is engaging gear 14, the projection 96 will engage the socket 91 in member 93. When lever 9| is turned to a half-way position between socket 91 and socket 99, the projection 96 will engage the central socket 98 thereby causing the gears 44 and 45 to be disposed betwen the gears 61 and 14 where neither will mesh with gear 61 or 14. In this position prongs 86 and 81 on member 50, will not engage either of the prongs 16 or 11, therefore it is seen that the apparatus is in neutral position, and both of the gears 61 and 14 are secured against rotation, since prong 11 is engaging projections 68 and prong 16 is engaging projections 15. The spring 9U is provided so that should the apparatus be in neutral position, and it is desired to shift lever 9|, so that gears 44 and 61 mesh, if a tooth in gear 44 should strike the tooth in gear 61, and prevent the gearstfrom meshing with each other, thelever 9| would be pushed all the way so that theprojection 96would engage the socket 99 as shown lin Figure 4. S It is evident that the spring 90would be distorted and the member 50 would not be rotatedl until the drive shaft had rotated the shaft 36 asufiicient amount to causethe teeth in gears 44and 61 to mesh. When this is done, the tension produced by spring 90 would cause the parts to assume the position as shown in Figure 4. f f i It is evident that if the teeth inthe-gear 45v should strike the teeth in the gear'14 that. thel spring would likewise be distorted in the opposite direction and member 9| could be rotated in ai counter-clockwise directionuntil the projection 96 would engage the socket v91. `When the shaft 36 has rotated a suicient amount to cause thev gears to mesh then the tension of the spring 90.

would rotate the member 50 in a' clockwise direction until the .gears were disposedat their proper position.

Sidewall I 3 has secured thereto a bolt |00 which has threadedly secured on the end thereof knurled nut IUI, said nut IOI being adapted to'coniine a roll of tape I 02 thereon;A A similar bolt |03 is also secured in sidewall I3 and has a knurled nut |04 threadably secured on the end thereof which nut connes a roll of tape |05 thereon. Disposed above roll |02 is a tension roller |06 which is rotatably mounted on the left-hand end of member |01, said member |01 being hingedly secured as at |08 to the back wall I4. A similar tension roller |I0 is rotatably mounted on the left-hand end of member I I I which is hingedly secured as at I I4 to backwall I4.

Sidewall I2 likewise has a pin I2| secured thereto which has a knurled nut |22 on the end thereof confining a roll of paper on the pin. Disposed above this roller is a tension roller |23 which is similar in all respect to roller |06 just described, and is hingedly secured to the backwall I4. Disposed below the bolt |2| is a bolt I9 having a knurled nut |24 threadably secured on the end thereof which confines a roll of tape on the bolt I9. This roller and its associated parts are identical to the rollers which have been previously described. Bolts |26 and |21 are secured on sidewalls I2 and I3 and have rollers |29 and |3|la rotatably mounted thereon. These guide the tape as it is being pulled through the apparatus by the rollers 63 and 10. Two rolls of tape are provided in order that a duplicate may be had while it is evident that more rolls may be placed within the casing if it is desired.

It is seen by referring to Figures 2 and 9 that tape |30 has two sets of readings thereon. The scale of graduations |3| on the left-hand side of the tape are the ones which denote the number of picks made by the loom and where this is torn off at the lower edge of the projection |33 it will denote the number of picks which are made during the day. The graduations |35 on the righthand side of the tape are used merely to denote the number of picks which have been made any time during the day and these graduations are visible through suitable windows |36 and |31 which are cut in the cover I 1. It is seen that the reading which is visible through the windows |36 and |31 corresponds to the reading which is at the lower edge of projection |33.

In other words, in Figure 2, if the tape were torn off in this position the reading on the scale |3I would be 20 which would denote 20,000 picks. Th reading on the right-hand scale |35 'would also be ..20 which is Visible at this time through the window |36. This affords means for telling Ythe 'exact-number of picks which have been madea't any time during the day without opening one of the covers 20 or 22.

lIn ya like manner the paper or tape from the rolls |02 and-|05 are moved around the pin |30a and over the roller 10, said roller 10 being adapted to feedthe tape downwardly through a suitable slotin the bottom of member I I. The lower side of member II is provided with a projection |40 whichis identical inall respects to projection |33, and the lower edge of this projection has a knif edge on the front side thereof being adapted to form a guide for tearing the tape when it is desired to remove the tape from the container 22,

Basemember II: has projections |4| and |42 integral withthe upper side thereof and these projections have slots in the central portion thereof vthroughA which the tape is fed downwardly into the receptacles 20 and 22. A bore |43 and |44 is disposed directly through the central portion of member I4I and I 42 and the front edges of these bores are penetrated by suitable pins and |46, said pins being iixedlyv secured to a bar |41. The bar |41 is secured at its central portion to a pin |48 (Figs. 2 and 7) which projects on the inside of lock |49 and has a button |50 on the end thereof. A suitable compression spring |5I is conned on pin |40 by means of the button |50 and the end wall of lock |49 which normally pushes the pin and the bar to the left in Figure 7.

The lock |49 has a conventional barrel |52 which is adapted to receive a suitable key |53 which has a projection |54 on the end thereof which is adapted to contact the button |50 when inserted within the lock. It is seen that when the key |53 has entered the barrel |52, so that it will properly engage the lock to unlock the front wall |1 that the button |50 will be pushed to the right along with the bar |41. 'Ihis movement to the right will cause the pins |45 and |46 to move inwardly in bores |43 and |44 and to punch the tape which projects down through the slots in members |4| and |42. By this arrangement it is seen, that each time the lock |49 is operated, the tape will be punched thereby preventing unauthorized persons from tampering with the counter and insuring that each time the door is opened that a record will be made on the tape.

The barrel |52 has integral therewith projection |52a which is adapted to engage a slot |55 in the base II, when the cover is in locked position but when the key I 53 rotates the barrel |52 to unlocked position the projection |52a will not engage the cavity |55 and the lid may be opened. In order to insure that the bar |41 will remain horizontal at all times, suitable pins |56 and |51 are secured in the front wall I1 and slidably penetrate bar |41. When the key I 53 has been removed from the lock, the parts |45, |46 and |41 will assume the position as shown in Figures 5 and 7 because the tension spring I5I will force the button |50 and pin |48 to the left in Figure '1. While the present showing of the counter is described in conjunction with a loom it is to be understood that the counter may be used as a counting device on other machines such as spinning frames, inspection tables or in fact, on any other device where a counter is desired.

By observing Figure 9 it is seen that the tape is made with a plurality of sections having identical printed graduations thereon. Each set of graduations represents slightly more than a Work periods capacity which is shown as 390,000 picks. Let us assume that the capacity is 350,000 picks. This means that immediately before the beginning of a Work period the supervisor would unlock the casing and advance the tape to the next Zero mark, and when he again locked the casing the tape would be perforated by the plunger |46. When the Work period was over unlocking of the casing to set the tape for the next work period would again perforate the tape.` Therefore, if any operation produced a tape which was perforated, it would show that some unauthorized person and tampered with the counter. This locking and perforating feature insures accurate recording.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the accompanying claim.

I claim:

A counter comprising a casing, a roll carrying a plurality of layers of printed tape mounted in the casing, each of said tapes having two offset rows of evenly spaced numbers printed thereon, and the marginal edges of the tapes being perforated, a feed roll mounted in the casing and having teeth projecting therefrom to engage the perforations in the tapes for feeding the same from the roll to the exterior of the casing, a slot in the casing through which the tape is expelled by movement of the feed roll, a driven shaft extending into the casing, a driving connection between the shaft and the feed roll, said casing having a window therein through which one of the rows of graduated numbers on the tape nearest the window is visible, the distance between the window and the exterior edge of the slot in the casing through which the tapes are expelled being such that the reading on one scale of evenly spaced numbers at the exterior of the slot is identical to the reading on the scale visible through the window, so that when the tapes are torn oi at the exterior edge of the slot the last number appearing in one column will be identical to the number visible through the window.

WOODFORD A. KENNEDY. 

